Since cities in the United States deal with increasingly serious and more common floods through intensive storms and climate change, a growing number of municipalities recognize that the centuries -old approach to channel rainwater mainly in underground pipes and sewer. In addition to your flood combination, you include a green rainwater infrastructure – systems that work with nature.
The green rainwater infrastructure includes a number of techniques with which rainwater is to be recorded, filter and slowly released where it falls, and ancestors have natural processes that have disturbed impermeable concrete and asphalt. These solutions include rain gardens with local plants, porous plasters that enable water to build rainfall like huge sponges through wetlands, parks and green rooms and green rooms.
The approach represents a fundamental change in urban planning. The traditional “gray” infrastructure, which includes storm processes, pipes and treatment plants, is often designed in such a way that they move the water away from cities as quickly as possible. Green infrastructure does it differently: it slows down the water and lets it infiltrate or of course evaporate it. Both are of crucial importance.
The advantages of the green infrastructure extend beyond the fair flood control. Green infrastructure is not only inexpensive, but also reduces environmental pollution that penetrates waterways, creates urban habitats for wild animals, improves air quality and makes neighborhoods healthier and more attractive places to live and meet.
Cities such as Philadelphia, Seattle, New York and New Orleans have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in green infrastructure programs that are driven by environmental problems and economic necessity.
In New Orleans, urban floods are a chronic problem. A large part of the city is below the sea level, and the city receives frequent, intensive downpours, especially in warmer months. Like many cities, New Orleans has a lot of concrete, asphalt and roofs, and the existing infrastructure often cannot absorb or move the water quickly enough. This leads to floods on streets and in low, often lower wealth, neighborhoods.
However, the city and its residents take steps to tackle the problem and integrate air -conditioned gray and green infrastructure projects to prevent and combat floods.
During a visit to the Grantmakers conference in Health Makers in Health 2025 – several organizations – Upper 9th Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association, The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, Groundwork New Orleans, Healthy Community Services, Sankofa Community Development Corporation and Water Wise Golf South – showed that some of the most effective climate solutions come from the communities they need the most.
“There is no division of land and property in the real world. Water, land, soil systems and roots are all connected,” said Rashida Ferdinand, founder and managing director of Sankofa CDC.
Take Hurricane Katrina lessons 20 years ago, and your work to include the green rainwater infrastructure includes the districts of New Orleans, in which floods are not only an inconvenience, but a threat to survival, economic stability and cohesion of the community.
“Communities at the front of climate change develop the most effective multi-solving solutions,” said Yeou-Rong Jih program officer from Kresge Environment. “Green rainwater projects can not only reduce flood risks, but also improve our health, create jobs and at the same time build up the prosperity and well -being of the community.”
Three types of transformations
During the learning visit, community and non -profit managers demonstrated three different types and scales of Green rainwater infrastructure projects (GSI), including:
The Sankofa Wetland Park & Nature Trail The project restores 40 acres of worsened land in addition to the Bayou Bienvenue triangle in a flowering bald culture cypress-tupelo moisture area. This is not only environmental productions and flood prevention, but also a symbol of neglect in a source of pride and resilience for residents of the lower ninth community.
The Sturmwasser -Plos of the Intermediate Community Connection shows how the residents can transform an abandoned urban area into community assets. When the Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association acquired a triple property in 2009, they not only wanted to manage the over 20,000 gallon rainwater that is now treating it. They wanted to create a meeting point. Today, four rain gardens and a bioswale offer a double obligation as flood protection and neighborhood event space and prove that the infrastructure can combine people in a community.
The vision for Reality Stormwater Management Park is named after the residents of the 7th community, the vision of which became a reality. This 35,000-gallon capacity park, which was developed through a unique cooperation with the Ministry of Transport to eliminate drainage and pollution from roads, includes local vegetation and trees, educational signs, weather monitoring in real time, assembly rooms in the municipality and seating areas. The most important thing is that phase 2 of this unique project is built exclusively by participants from New Orleans Youth Workforce development programs.
According to data taken from the economic economy of Wise Golf South and Earth, in collaboration with the Greater Tremé Consortium, Healthy Community Services, the Upper 9th Ward Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association, the HollyGrove-Dixon Nachbaleschaftvergung, New Orleans East Green Infrastructive Collective and The Lower 9. Ward Häuser Association groups, more than 770-in-. Since 2013, other projects have been rain gardens, concrete removal, French drains, rain barrels, rainwater plants, perious sidewalk and bioswales.
These projects have added more than 189,000 gallon rainwater authorities capacity to new Orleans areas, which are often flooded and offer 19.3 million US dollars in advantages of ecosystem services every year.
“These projects, all of which focus on the needs and visions of the communities, show the different types of GSI that are feasible and effective in urban rooms and show how natural solutions can offer several advantages,” said Jih. “It is possible to increase the voices and leadership of communities that are most affected by flooding and climate change and to build up the muscles of cooperation with the local and regional government in order to encourage them to include a fairer and more air -conditioning decision -making in their guidelines and infrastructure.”
“The support of a fair and community -managed green rainwater infrastructure and natural -based solutions helps to ensure that districts can be healthy, safe and economically safe in view of the urban floods. Climate change is everything and all problems, and we all have a role in searching and supporting solutions,” said Jih.